Technical Field
The present invention relates to systems configured to measure the flow of water in pool skimmers.
Background of the Invention
With reference to FIGS. 1-3, in the prior art, it is known to remove debris in swimming pools 110 through the use of skimmers 100. Skimmers 100 generally include a rectangular skimmer opening 135 located in a sidewall 120 of the swimming pool 110, a moveable weir 170 that pivots on a hinge 155 within the skimmer 100 and moves in response to changes in the water levels of the swimming pool 110, and a skimmer basket 160. The skimmer basket 160 sits in a well 198 located in the interior 137 of the skimmer 100, collects debris and must be emptied. The skimmer basket 160 has a basket interior 167, a basket exterior 168, a floor 161, a top/rim 162, a height 165 extending from the floor 161 to the top/rim 162, one or more sidewalls 163 extending upwardly from the floor 161, and a plurality of apertures located in the floor 161 and/or the sidewalls 163. The basket floor 161 and the basket sidewall 163 separate the basket interior 167 from the basket exterior 168. The skimmer 100 has an access opening 197 that is removably closed by a lid 199 in order to empty the skimmer basket 160.
Water enters the skimmer 100 through the opening 135, flows through water passageway 196 and over the weir 170, and through the skimmer basket 160. Ultimately, the filtered water is then pumped back into the swimming pool 110 through water jets 175 located in the pool sidewalls 120 using a pump 190 and a series of pipes 180, 181, 182 and 193. The capacity of pool pumps 190 is usually provided in gallons per minute (gpm), which refers to the amount of water that the pump 190 is able to circulate in a minute. The pump 190 is usually connected to a pool drain 195 in addition to the skimmer 100, and in some cases the pool owner is able to adjust the rate at which the pump 190 pulls water into the skimmer 100 by closing the drain valve 194. However, closing the drain valve 194 requires manual intervention by the pool owner.
Unfortunately, skimmer baskets 160 fill up quickly with debris, particularly in residential areas with many trees. If the skimmer basket 160 becomes too full with debris, water is cut off from the pump 190, which can damage the pump 190. Thus, skimmer baskets 160 are a constant maintenance issue.
Thus, there is a need for cheap devices that allow users to quickly and easily review the operation of swimming pool skimmers and notify users when the basket 160 needs to be emptied.